Library FAQ
What growth impacts have EIC-supported companies experienced?
For the extended EIC portfolio, companies averaged over 50% employment growth and 55% revenue growth in the two years following EIC support.
What is the EIC Fund and what has it achieved?
The EIC Fund is the EIC’s investment arm. It has signed 384 investment agreements, invested in 272 companies with approved investments worth over EUR 1 billion, and completed over 150 investment rounds (including over 60 in 2024).
What is the EIC’s budget and time frame under Horizon Europe?
The EIC has a budget of over EUR 10 billion under the Horizon Europe Programme for 2021–2027.
What is the European Innovation Council (EIC)?
The EIC is a flagship initiative of the European Commission to turn disruptive European science into commercial propositions and accelerate scale-up of game-changing deep tech innovations.
What is the Trusted Investors Network (TIN)?
TIN is a cohort of over 100 investors assembled by the EIC, mainly private venture funds plus public investment banks and others, collectively representing over EUR 100 billion of assets to support co-investment in European deep tech companies.
What non-financial support does the EIC offer?
The EIC offers tailored Business Acceleration Services, including help to find opportunities with large corporates, specialist infrastructures, and access to public procurement to increase market entry and scaling likelihood.
What types of support does the EIC provide?
The EIC provides integrated support across technology maturity stages via three core schemes: Pathfinder (early-stage research), Transition (transform research into innovation opportunities), and Accelerator (support and finance for start-ups and SMEs).
With what investors does the EIC Fund co-invest?
The EIC Fund has co-invested alongside nearly 500 VCs, over 30 government and sovereign funds, 120 corporate/strategic investors, several hundred business angels and founders, and the 25 largest VCs in Europe.
How are proposals evaluated across the EIC schemes?
Evaluation is tailored: Pathfinder uses peer review with weighted criteria; Transition uses remote scoring then interviews with binary GO/NO GO decisions for top applicants; Accelerator uses remote evaluation and interviews with binary GO/NO GO scoring.
How does the EIC balance open and challenge-driven funding?
The majority of funding is through open calls (EIC Open) with no predefined themes, while EIC Challenges fund specific technological and innovation breakthroughs aligned with EU priorities.
How is the EIC collaborating with the EIT and KICs?
The EIC and EIT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (8 January 2021) to strengthen collaboration, including FastTrack implementation by EIT KICs and consideration of coordination with KIC business acceleration services.
What additional support does the EIC provide besides direct funding?
Access to EIC Business Acceleration Services (expertise, corporates, investors and ecosystem actors), prizes, and other activities such as Booster grants, Marketplace and Fast Track opportunities.
What are EIC Portfolios?
Thematic or challenge-based collections of projects overseen by EIC Programme Managers to foster cooperation, advance ideas, and prepare transition to innovation; projects may be requested to join and participate in portfolio activities.
What are the main changes in the 2022 Work Programme compared to 2021?
Changes include clarified rebuttal timelines for Pathfinder; regular cut-off dates and measures to increase women-led interviews for Transition; and more frequent cut-offs, options to apply for investment above €15 million, and broadened women-led definitions...
What are the three main EIC funding schemes?
EIC Pathfinder (advanced research), EIC Transition (transforming research results into innovation opportunities), and EIC Accelerator (support for companies to develop and scale breakthrough innovations).
What is proactive project and portfolio management in the EIC?
EIC Programme Managers actively manage projects and portfolios by defining milestones, conducting periodic reviews with independent experts, requesting amendments or additional support, and potentially suspending or terminating projects if needed.
What is the main aim of the EIC?
To identify and support breakthrough technologies and game-changing innovations that can scale internationally and become market leaders.
What is the purpose of the EIC Work Programme 2022?
To implement EIC activities in 2022, setting out how funding will be allocated under Horizon Europe and describing schemes, procedures and support measures.
What measures does the 2022 Work Programme include to increase women’s representation?
At least 40% of juries and evaluators will be women (aiming 50%), selection for interviews will aim for strong representation of women-led SMEs, Business Acceleration Services include services for female founders, women representation used as tie-breaker for e...
What medium-term Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) does the EIC aim for?
Targets include supporting impact-oriented companies with over 90% addressing Sustainable Development Goals, crowding in 3–5 times co-investments, bridging research to deployment, and a balanced portfolio with at least 35% of portfolio companies led by women.
What provisions exist on open access and intellectual property for EIC projects?
EIC Pathfinder applies open access to scientific publications; Pathfinder and Transition projects may be requested to share information within portfolios subject to confidentiality, and inventors retain ownership while being entrusted with access for further d...
What support is provided for applicants from widening countries?
National Contact Points and the Enterprise Europe Network offer targeted support; Accelerator applicants receiving a GO on short proposals get three days of coaching; Seal of Excellence holders can access Business Acceleration Services and support to access ot...
Where can potential applicants find more information and apply?
More information is on the EIC website (https://eic.ec.europa.eu/) and applications are made through the EU Funding & Tender Opportunities portal (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home).
Which stages of innovation does the EIC support?
All stages from early-stage research and development of scientific underpinnings, to validation and demonstration, to development and scaling up of start-ups and SMEs.